In lower Manhattan the Occupy Wall Street protests have been growing with tremendous speed, adding leftist luminaries, elected officials, and hundreds of others to its ranks. Here, the Occupy Chicago protests have persevered with the same message and energy—but not the same numbers. On Wednesday seven protesters braved the rain for morning rally. Around 25 … Continue reading
Note to women in the South Park Slope and surrounding Brooklyn: You might want to think twice before wearing shorts or skirts when you walk home alone at night. That’s the message some women say police officers are spreading as they step up patrols in the area in response to at least 10 unsolved sexual … Continue reading
Facebook took a huge step toward ubiquitous sharing with its new timeline and sharing features. And it rightfully creeps some people out. Not everybody wants to share their life story on their profile, see their friends’ activities in real time or have their preferences in music, movies and reading shared as they’re consuming media. But … Continue reading
Fort Dodge, Iowa – Same-sex marriage is a temporary aberration that will dissipate, Newt Gingrich said here today. “I believe that marriage is between a man and woman,” Gingrich said. “It has been for all of recorded history and I think this is a temporary aberration that will dissipate. I think that it is just … Continue reading
Florida will hold its presidential primary on Jan. 31, a decision that is expected to prompt other states to move up their primary and caucus dates. A special committee made the decision Friday, thwarting efforts by national GOP leaders to push back the nominating process. Officials in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina have … Continue reading
The rumor that Facebook will suddenly start charging users to access the site has become one of the social media era’s perennial chain letters. While Facebook prominently advertises that its service is “free and always will be” on its homepage, it hasn’t stopped false rumors of a pay scheme from going viral on numerous occasions, … Continue reading
A federal judge refused Thursday to block enforcement of a new Kansas law that restricts insurance coverage for abortions. U.S. District Judge Wesley Brown rejected a request from the American Civil Liberties Union for a temporary injunction while the group challenges the law in court. Brown said the ACLU, which filed its lawsuit in August, … Continue reading
This week, a judge once again shot down an appeal by Catholic Charities, which wants to continue handling adoptions and foster care applications in Illinois while refusing to place children with same-sex or unmarried couples. The state decided to end its contract with the charity–and now Catholics are fighting back against the “gay agenda” in … Continue reading
Bank of America announced Thursday it will charge its debit card users a $5 monthly fee beginning in early 2012, provoking fury from a senior Democrat. The bank, the largest in the nation by assets, blamed its decision on the so-called Durbin Amendment, a provision of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law put into place by … Continue reading
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (Oct. 5.) will hear one of most important religion cases in decades, centered on the degree to which religious institutions should be exempt from anti-discrimination laws. The case started at a Lutheran elementary school in Michigan where a teacher claimed she was fired in violation of the Americans With Disabilities … Continue reading
Spanish scientists at the National Biotech Centre in Madrid say a new vaccine could reduce HIV to a “minor chronic infection.” The researchers report that 90% of participants given the MVA-B vaccine showed an immune response to the virus and 85% kept the immunity a year later. According to a press release from The Spanish … Continue reading
The House on Thursday gave quick approval to a stopgap spending bill that will finance the government for the first four days of October, until lawmakers can return and vote on a more ambitious seven-week spending bill. The stopgap bill, passed Monday by the Senate, goes now to President Obama, who is expected to sign … Continue reading
Facebook has said that it has “fixed” cookies that could have tracked users after they logged out of the site. The issue was brought to light by an Australian blogger who has conducted a year-long analysis of the social network’s use of cookies. He concluded the company might still be able to track members’ web … Continue reading
[Editress' Note: published for my friend, the remarkable Mr. Michael Cassidy] Is it wise for the City of Rockford to contract with Mike Cassidy and McGuireWoods, the firm for which he works, to lobby on behalf of Rockford in Springfield? The cost is $10,000 a month, and aldermen voted 13 to 1 Monday to pay … Continue reading
The Obama administration Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to settle the constitutional question over the 2010 health-care law this term, meaning that the decision will probably come next summer in the thick of the presidential campaign. The Justice Department asked the justices to review the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th … Continue reading
Nearly three-quarters of Americans say they support President Barack Obama’s proposal to tax households making $1 million or more at the same or higher rate as middle-class households, according to a recent poll from website Daily Kos. The poll found two-thirds of Republicans also support the so-called “Buffett Rule” – named after famed investor Warren … Continue reading
via The Onion – With the United States facing a daunting array of problems at home and abroad, leading historians courteously reminded the nation Thursday that when making tough choices, it never hurts to stop a moment, take a look at similar situations from the past, and then think about whether the decisions people made … Continue reading
One recent day in a federal prison hospital, accused Tucson gunman Jared Loughner refused to drink milk with lunch. Another day, prison staff noted, he stayed in bed for 18.5 hours. During one seven-day period, staffers said he appeared depressed 63% of the time. His demeanor was flat 84% of the time, and his hygiene was considered … Continue reading
Simi Valley, California — When Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey took the lectern at the Reagan library here on Tuesday night, he initially stuck to his script, a mostly dry speech that took a few swipes at President Obama. But when Mr. Christie moved to answer questions from the audience, he let loose, moving … Continue reading
If 2,000 Tea Party activists descended on Wall Street, you would probably have an equal number of reporters there covering them. Yet 2,000 people did occupy Wall Street last Saturday. They weren’t carrying the banner of the Tea Party, the Gadsden flag with its coiled snake and the threat “Don’t Tread on Me”. Yet their message was clear: … Continue reading
Following the runaway success of its documentary series “16 & Pregnant,” 22 year old associate producer for MTV, Jordyn Baker, announced today that the network will debut a new installment in January 2012 called “36 & Pregnant” that will follow a group of “middle-aged” women as they navigate motherhood “We wanted to explore the other … Continue reading
A Saudi woman was sentenced Tuesday to be lashed 10 times with a whip for defying the kingdom’s prohibition on female drivers, the first time a legal punishment has been handed down for a violation of the longtime ban in the ultraconservative Muslim nation. Normally, police just stop female drivers, question them and let them … Continue reading
